Meeting with President of Iceland - Work for Peace or Resign! - PeaceLink - computer network

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PRESS RELEASE
The following is a translation from the website of Icelandic newspaper
Morgunbladid - Easter Sunday 31 March 2002

President of Iceland urged to work for peace in the Middle East or resign
from office.

Thor Magnusson, founder of Peace 2000 and former Presidential Candidate of
Iceland, delivered an appeal to President of Iceland Mr. Olafur Ragnar
Grimsson, to launch an Icelandic peace initative in the Middle East or
resign from office.  A press release from Peace 2000 says that when Mr.
Magnusson arrived at the Presidential Residence Bessastadir, the President
had just got back from a jog, but spared a few minutes to talk to the
guest.  The appeal of Thor Magnusson to Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, on behalf
of Peace 2000, was the following:

"Now when the world stands on end because of the situation in Israel and
Palestine and as our colleagues from European peace movements are trying to
take up positions in the office buildings of the Palestinian Home Rule to
try to prevent the murder of President Arafat by the Israeli army, I make
one more attempt at imploring you to use your position as President of
Iceland for peace. Again I recall your promise when we were both
Presidential candidates in 1996, that you would if elected, use the office
of the President for peace activism. You underlined this many times in
television interviews with references to your earlier work as a peace
activist, and later reiterated this to me in personal meetings. However,
now six years later you have done notthing.  The time has come for you to
show the solidarity that you promised to peace activism and keep your
election promise!

The situation in the Middle East is rapidly developing into an all-out war
that may lead the a broader conflict, even to a world war within a very
short time. This transformation of events in the age of nuclear weapons
poses a real threat to the future of mankind, the future of Iceland and its
subjects. Those people who in good faith elected you as their President.  I
refuse to believe that you will continue occupying the Presidential offices
and not even attempt to do anything for peace or to honor your election
promises in this grave situation.

Peace 2000 partners have sent us the following news from the situation of
the Palestinian town of Ramalla.

1. US made helicopters of the Israeli army hover over the city shooting at
buildings and people.

2. Israeli bulldozers are being used to make way for armoured tanks in
residential areas.

3. The journeys of doctors, ambulances and aid workers have been impeded.
Red Crescent workers are prevented from providing medical assistance.
Israeli soldiers shoot at people on the streets of the city.

4. More than 500 civilians, including foreigners, gathered at an Israeli
army barricade and ask soldiers to allow them leave the town. The soilders
replied with gunshots over their heads, causing even more fear and
resulting in most of the people fleeing back into the city.

5. Israeli soldiers have been holding civilians hostage and using them as
human shields. In some cases whole families and even tens of people have
been isolated in one room, sometimes without food and drink, while Israeli
soldiers have used their homes to take up armed positions all over the
city.

6. Some districts of Ramalla are now lacking water and food. The Israeli
army has impeded transportation. The Israeli army has even used the
residents' food while they have used their apartments and houses as armed
hideouts.

7. Large parts of the city are without electricity. Telephone lines have
been cut. Civilians are kept in isolation and increasing numbers are
gripped by fear.

8. Soldiers are walking through the streets, taking prisoners and calling
upon all men between the ages of 16 and 40 to "surrender". The injured are
denied medical care. There have been occurrences of executions by army
personnel.

9. The Israeli army has driven tanks over civilian automobiles and strewn
them in the street in front of the owners' homes. Personal possessions are
destroyed in house to house "visits" and army searches.

10. Five officers in the Palestinian security forces were found dead in a
building that housed Arabian newsrooms, banks and the Internet company
Palestinian Online. It is clear that these men were killed without recourse
to trials or laws.

11. The Israeli minister Uzi Landau has said today that it is important to
topple the Palestinian Home Rule from power. Another influential person in
Israel, Eli Yishai, has today also called for increased and more extensive
military action. Such actions are of course completely contrary to the will
of the international community and will only result in dramtatically
escelating the conflict and topple the world further towards a global war.

Peace 2000 has sent a proposal to the Icelandic Foreign Ministry asking for
discussions regarding the ALTHING-JERUSALEM concept. The idea is rooted in
the Althing meeting at Thingvellir the year 1000, when Thorgeir
Ljosvetningagodi set the scene for an almost unbroken 1000 years era of
peace in Iceland. Peace 2000 has been in contact with President Arafat and
the Palestinian Home Rule, together with many other parties in both Israel
and Palestine, about the initiative. Those who have studied the proposal
feel it is worthy of a closer examination, and that such an initative from
Iceland could play a part in bringing about lasting peace in the Middle
East.

In light of the support Iceland gave to the founding of the state of
Israel, and recent escelation towards an all out war in the Middle East,
the reticent response of the Icelandic authorities can only be described as
a total lack of responsibility. Even people in ivory towers must realize
that Iceland has a duty to do all in its power to stem against the
bloodbath.

We have repeatedly also sent you appeals to use your Presidential position
for peace initatives in the Middle East.  We have offered our assistance
and support and this offer is now repeated. The undersigned is prepared to
travel without delay to the Middle East as your ambassador if this would
help. It is important that an Icelandic peace inititative is launched in
the area before the situation develops into a wider conflict or even a
world war. We have cautioned against looking to the US for a peaceful
solution.  The importance of our message has been further underlines now
that US President Mr. George Bush has taken a firm partial stance with
Israel and can no longer be regarded as an impartial party.

I refuse to believe that you, a former peace activist and former head of a
global peace network, will continue occupying the office of the President
of Iceland without attempting to do anything.  That you will allow a
conflict develop that endangers the whole future of humankind without a
murmur.

If you, Mr Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, do not have the courage to act for peace
at this time of distress, I urge you personally, in light of your election
statements in 1996, to immediately resign from your position as President
of Iceland."

___________________________________________________________________________
___

Peace 2000, a non profit organization with associates in more than 40
countries. Peace 2000 was founded in 1995 at a town meeting set by the
Icelandic Minister for the Environment with 500 people and speakers from
organizations around the world, including UNESCO, World Court Project and
the Chernobyl Childrens Project. Peace 2000 has been awarded for its Santa
aid flights to war torn areas done under a special permission of the UN
Security Council, by the Gandhi Foundation, UNESCO and the Greek Orthodox
Church who decorated its founder, Icelandic Presidential Candidate Thor
Magnusson with their Holy Gold Cross for humanitarian work at a ceremony in
memory of Mother Theresa and Princess Diana. The work of Peace 2000 has
been featured by REUTERS, CNN, ABC, CBS and others. Peace 2000 has worked
together with several other charities, including the Red Cross and the Red
Crescent. The work of Peace 2000 has been made entirely possible by the
support of corporate and government sponsors including: Boeing Aeroplane
Group, Alitalia, Icelandair, Air Atlanta, Air Cyprus, Royal Jordanian
Airways, Cronus Airways, Parcelpost, LandRover, British Civil Aviation
Authority, Eurocontrol, Hilton, Sheraton and Intercontinental Hotels, DHL,
Shell, BP, Western Union and technology companies: Verisign, GlobeNet,
Siebel, Ctirix, Trivium, Adenin and more than 300 other companies around
the world.  More information: www.peace2000.org.  Telephone Iceland: +354
557 1000 or +354 552 2000.